Volute springs



D. G. ROLLINS.

Making Springs Patented Dec. 29. 1857.

DANL. G. ROLLIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR MAKING VOLUTE SPRINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 18,991, dated December 29, 1857.

T o all whom it 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL Gr. ROLLIN, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery forthe Manufacture of Volute Springs; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lrepresents a front elevation of my improved machinery, Fig. 2 a sideelevation of the same,-Fig. 3 a plan of the same, and Fig. 4 a verticallongitudinal sec tion of the same at the line m of Fig. 3. Fig. 5represents a face view of a plate of steel of the form to be made into aspring, and Fig. 6 a view of a double volute spring such as is made byt-he machine.

The purpose of my invention is the formation of volute springs of sheetsteel plates by coiling the same upon a mandrel of suitable form, andthe machinery I am about to describe, and in which my invention isembodied, is specially adapted to the m'anufacture of the double volutespring invented by me.

The principal operating parts of my machine are a former or mandrel uponwhich the spring is coiled, and conical rollers by means of which thespring is borne against and coiled upon this mandrel. y

In the accompanying drawings the various moving parts of the machine arerepresented as secured to a strong frame A, A. The mandrel B upon whichthe spring is to be coiled is in this instance composed of two parts cand UZ, dividing at the center, so that the two parts may be withdrawnendwise in opposite directions from the coiled spring. One of theseparts (c) is perforated to fit upon a spindle secured to the other part.The extremities of the mandrel fit into sockets formed in the centers oftwo head blocks E and E', which are secured to the overhangingextremities of two shafts F and F, and these shafts are supported inline with each other and with the mandrel between them in suitablepillow blocks f, f, upon the upper bars of the frame of the machine. Oneof these shaftsr F is prevented from moving endwise by the collars ateach side of its ournals; the collars of the other shaft are far enoughapart to permit the shaft to be moved endwise a sufficient distance todetach the mandrel from the sockets in the head blocks, and this endwisemovement is imparted when necessary by means of a shifting lever G ofthe ordinary construction.

Each head block has a conical roller H secured to it to act upon theplate of steel. The exterior surfaces of these rollers have the forms ofvolutes coiled in directions opposite to those of the volutes of thesprings to be made. Each roller is secured to a spindle so that it canturn to apply itself to the spring plate. Beneath the mandrel B there isa supportI which approaches it, the space between the two beingsufficient to admlit the plate to be formed into a spring, and thissupport has a lever J pivoted to it, one of whose ends can be made tobear upon the center of the mandrel so as to prevent it from springingupward under the strain.

Each of the shafts F, F', is fitted with a cogwheel K and K', whoseteeth engage in those' of a corresponding pinion secured to a countershaft L, and each countershaft is fitted wit-h a belt pulley M to whicha belt may be applied to drive the machine. The two belts may bothproceed from driving pulleys secured to one'driving shaft, but as inmanufacturing a double volute spring of the form shown at Fig. 6, theconical rollers are necessarily turned in opposite directions, one ofthe belts must be crossed. The driving shaft N, should be driven bymeans of a belt that can be shifted when desired from a fast to a loosepulley, or by some other means that will enable the operators to stopthe machine or put it in operation with facility.

. In forming double volute springs with this machine plates of sheetsteel of the form represented at Fig. 5 are employed. These are heatedin a suitable furnace and are then introduced endwise, one at a time,beneath the mandrel B upon the support I, until the central part of theplate is beneath the mandrel. Before each plate is introduced theconical rollers are turned until both are directly beneath the mandrel,and after the plate is introduced the conical rollers are put in motionby throwing the driving shaft into gear, and as they revolve they bearagainst the exterior face 0f the plate and roll it down in spiral coilsupon the mandrel. In effecting this operation the edges of the volutesof the rollers bear against the edges of the spring plate and thusdirect it in. coiling so that it assumes the proper conical or voluteform. When the operation is completed the machine is stopped the shaft Fis moved endwise to free the mandrel, the lever J is raised, and themandrel with the spring upon it is removed from the machine. The tvvoparts of the mandrel are Withdrawn endwise fro-m the spring and thelatter is tempered and polished if necessary in any suitable manner.

In operating with this machine the mandrel and conical rollers should beof suitable size and form relatively to the thickness of the steel andthe form of spring to be produced; and in using the machine it will befound advisable, in order to save time, to have a number of mandrels, sothat while one is being withdrawn from a spring -another may have aspring coiled upon it in the machine. In commencing work it will befound that the coldness -of the metal will,

chill thin steel; therefore parts of the Inachine maybe heated up beforeputtingit in operatio-n by laying hotl plates of iron upon the mandrel,rollers, and head blocks, or in any other suitable manner. It may evenbe found. necessary to apply heat to these parts of the machine duringthe operation, which may be done by means of a suitable furnace placedbeneath them, or in any other manner that will produce the requiredresult.

In coiling double volute springs it will be observed that the rollersturn 1n opposite directions around the mandrel, therefore the tendencyof the plate being coiled to move in one direction under the operationof one roller is counteracted by an equal and opposite effect producedby the other roller. This peculiarity in the machine renders itunnecessary to nick the steel plates so as to prevent them from turningupon the mandrel, and thus saves the time and labor consumed inperforming that operation.

The invention thus described is not limited to the manufacture yofdouble volute springs, but may be adapted to the manufacture of singlevolute springs; in this case but one conical roller is required and themandrel has the form of a single cone; some means must however in thiscase be employed to prevent ythe spring plate from turning upon themandrel While it is being coiled.

The machinery I have thus described may be modified without affectingthe principle of my invention, and I propose to modify it ascircumstances may require; thus foi eX- ample when the invention isadapted to the manufacture of a single volute spring the mandrel may bemade to revolve and the conical roller, although turning upon its axis,to retain its position; or both may be made to revolve in oppositedirections. The mechanism by which motion is imparted to the rollers mayalso be varied.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. The combination of a conical roller with a mandrel so as to coil avolute spring substantially as herein set forth.

2. I also claim the combination of two conical rollers moving inopposite directions with a double conical mandrel so as to coil adoublevolute spring` at one operation.

3. I also claim directing the coling of the plate into 'a volute springso as to cause it to assume the desired conical form by means of thevolute upon the conical roller which volute is turned in a direction thereverse of thatin the spring to'be formed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

' DANIEL Gr. ROLLIN. Witnesses: Y

W. L. BENNEM, H. WIGHTMAN.

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